Rip Van Symphonia
by Symphonia-Gals
Summary: Collab/Symphoniafan/Freakyanimegal. One thing they did not plan on was putting an eight year hiatus on their journey to save the world. It's not like they wanted it, it wasn't really their choice. None of them wanted to fall asleep for eight years...
1. Chapter 1

**Freakyanimegal: Hi! n.n And welcome to our collab! :D This was an idea I tossed around a bit before 'Growth Spurt', but didn't make it until I teamed up with Symphoniafan n.n**

**Symphoniafan: Greetings everyone! Well, what can I say, we talked about it, the idea was intriguing and she said, "Hey, let's do a collab." I just couldn't resist. :D In any case we hope you enjoy it! **

**'Rip Van Symphonia' **

**Disclaimer: We own nothing. **

Really, they weren't sure what happened.

One minute they had been trying to make a pact with Gnome, they had been at the altar where they would go about enlisting the spirit's power to their cause, and the next…nothing. Well, it wasn't nothing, so much, it was in fact a rather large something, but they didn't quite note it. Raine was the first to stir, her eyelids unnaturally heavy as she pulled herself up off the ground, holding her head in one hand. Apparently, she had been unconscious; but why she had been in the middle of the cavern sent up a red flag in her head, the woman frowning deeply. She swept her eyes around the cave she found herself in, seeing the still forms of the members of her group- Then noticed something was blazingly wrong. Genis was sprawled out beside her, and the woman's eyes widened dangerously. She quickly whipped off her brown outer-cloak and laid it over the silver-haired male, blushing furiously although she could not remove her eyes from her brother's exposed head. Raine began to shake violently as she looked down at the young man that was clearly her younger sibling. Why it was her brother was suddenly roughly twenty years old in appearance, she wasn't sure, but she knew him at sight. That and the fact he was still wearing the blue clothing which was far too small, calling for her to cover him with her cloak.

"What…? What is this…?" she whispered, shaking a bit.

She looked around frantically, her eyes sweeping over the rest of the unmoving group. Her suspicions were confirmed as she spotted a pink-haired woman also in serious need of covering, and she quickly took a blanket from her wingpack and laid it over her indecently clad body.

"Presea…" Raine whispered, staring at the young woman.

She looked around again. The other members of the group had changed as well, though none as drastically as Genis and Presea. All of them appeared dirty, their clothing worn, covered with dust, and their hair had all gotten longer and scraggly, from what she assumed was neglect. Regal had streaks of gray in his blue hair, Sheena appeared to have simply aged further, Colette's baggy clothing now actually fit on a slightly taller and noticeably more womanly frame.

"…Hm…" she frowned.

Zelos, however, looked exactly the same. Strange…then, she didn't look any different, did she? But that was to be expected, if whatever had happened ended up with them aged further, she was a half-elf and thus would not age much for several centuries at this point in her life. But Zelos was human, he should've…

Wait. Where was Lloyd?

She looked around and spotted the last member of the group sprawled out the furthest from the rest of them, laying face down in the ground. Raine walked over to him, somewhat uneasy about getting a good look at him. His suspenders had snapped and his red jacket had ripped in several places, having become too small for him as Genis and Presea's clothing had. He'd gotten significantly taller, she noted, and his body had gotten broader over all, particularly in the shoulders. Though she couldn't see his face under the long brown bangs that fell before his eyes, she needn't see his face to tell her anything. Yes, everyone, then. She bit her lip and drew back, looking around at the group one more time. What had happened? Apparently they had been asleep…could they…could they have really been asleep for- for however many years would have gotten them all to this level? She flinched at the thought, the complications of the situation far more evident than just what she was seeing. Years. They'd have to have been like this for _years_; Genis had to be at least twenty… Eight years? Something akin to that?

Raine shook her head as realization hit and then her eyes flickered to the group again. It didn't seem possible; yet, proof was right before her eyes. She stared at her brother's visibly older face.

She covered her own face and took a deep breath, knowing she had to remain levelheaded. She looked up and looked over her comrades. She would have to wake them, but knew that it would result in panic and confusion, which was not needed at the moment. Lloyd, Sheena and Genis were out of the question to wake first, as they tended to overreact. She glanced over at Colette; the young girl's face now that of a woman's and she sighed, making her way over to her to kneel beside her.

"Colette?" she gently shook the 'girl's' shoulder. "Wake up, Colette."

The Chosen's eyes fluttered heavily before they opened slowly. "Professor? Oh no, did I sleep in?"

Raine shook her head. "Colette, I don't want you to panic when you get up, alright?"

Colette blinked in confusion and started to push herself up. "Um...okay."

Giving her a hand, Raine helped Colette to her feet, steadying her. Colette rubbed her eyes and then looked around. "Oh. Why is everyone asleep still?" She blinked and looked at Raine. "Oh no, did I pass out when we were fighting Gnome? I am sorry—"

"No, Colette." Raine held back a sigh. How was she going to say this? "Take a closer look and tell me what you see."

Colette slowly turned her head back and looked at the others. Raine watched as Colette's eyes widened after a moment. "Um...Professor Raine? Why does Genis look..." she paused, then continued, "...Different?"

"I think we have been lying here for a long time, Colette." Raine said. "Gnome must have done something to us during the battle."

Colette tilted her head in confusion and then looked down at herself. "So, we are older?"

Raine nodded. "I believe so," She rubbed her head. "Come, let's wake up Presea."

They made their way over to her, Colette hanging back, her eyes wide as she saw Presea while Raine knelt beside the pink-haired female. Raine couldn't help but stare at Presea's face as well; she had lost her childish features and looked remarkably older. The difference was much more noticeable than Colette, though both girls no longer looked like children anymore and it unnerved Raine a little.

"Presea."

The young woman opened her eyes and met Raine's gaze. "Raine? Is something wrong...?" her voice trailed as she went to move and she froze. Raine looked on sympathetically as Presea frowned and glanced at the blanket covering her.

Raine took a deep breath again. "Try not to be alarmed, but we have encountered a...problem." She frowned. Without knowing the real circumstances, she was having difficulty trying to explain what had exactly happened.

Presea's mouth opened, but then she closed it. Slowly, she lifted the blanket, hiding her head from view for a moment, before she lowered the blanket again and looked at Raine. "Would I be able to keep...?"

Raine nodded quickly. "Of course."

"Thank you." Presea answered, wrapping the blanket around herself tightly and glanced at Colette, taking in her new appearance as well. She turned back to Raine. "Do you know why this happened?"

Raine shook her head and went to answer when Colette cut in.

"Why does she need the blanket?" she asked, tilting her head.

Both Raine and Presea turned slowly and looked at Colette, who just stared at them curiously.

At that moment, someone behind them began to stir.

"Ooooww….goddess, my head…"

Zelos pushed himself off the ground, rubbing his red-hair on the back of his head. The man groaned a bit as he got into a sitting position and then looked up, spotting the three women. Slowly one eyebrow arched as his eyes skimmed over Colette and Presea, just as slowly opening his mouth to speak.

"Uh…Am I dreaming?" he asked slowly.

"Zelos looks the same," Presea noted simply.

"Yeah…he doesn't look older at all!" Colette blinked, tilting her head to the side.

"Little angel, is that you?" Zelos stared, his eyes going wide. "Rosebud too?"

"Zelos, please try to stay calm," Raine said, "As you can see, something rather…inconvenient, has happened to us. Apparently we've either all aged rapidly, or we've been asleep for a long, long time…"

"S- Seriously? So those are-? Wait a second!" Zelos gasped, looking around in a frenzy, noting all the others and their either minor or major changes. "You- You're not kidding! Holy sh-!"

He stopped suddenly, his eyes bugging out of his head.

"Aw hell, you mean I'm old too!?" he gasped, clutching his face. "No! My beautiful face! My youth! And-"

He felt his scraggly, dirty hair.

"And my hair! Oh man! My hunnies must weeping!" he cried, sobbing dramatically.

"Actually, you look very much the same," Presea frowned.

"Don't try to cheer me up-!"

"No, Zelos, really, you do," Colette nodded.

Zelos raised an eyebrow and then scrambled into his wing-pack, pulling out something that made Raine scoff. Though, they shouldn't have been too surprised; being the narcissist he was, of course he would carry a mirror with him. The man looked into it and jolted his eyes wide and blinking.

"…Huh," he said, "I…do look the same. Well, that's kind of strange…"

What was he supposed to say? 'Actually, ladies, I'm kinda an angel too, been working for Cruxis for a while, hah hah! Joke's on you!' Sure, he wasn't immortal like Yuan, but angels did stop aging at a certain point, and judging by Colette, it was probably somewhere in the twenties.

"Wait, may I see that?" Presea asked, eying the mirror.

"Huh-? Well, sure, hunny," he smiled, then winked, "Though you look good, just to give you a heads up."

Presea looked into the glass and her eyes widened, slowly tilting her head to the side as she examined her face. After staring dumbly at her own reflection she passed it to Colette, who did much the same thing. However, Raine's attention was on Zelos…

"Why are you looking at me like that, my beauty?" he frowned.

"You don't look different," she repeated.

"Yeah, well neither do you," he huffed, "So why are you looking at _me _funny?"

"I'm a half-elf, I'm not going to age for a while," she stated, "You're human, you should look a little older, at least."

"Maybe I just age well," he shrugged.

Raine merely gave him a skeptical glare before the red-head looked around and noted Sheena stirring.

"Hey, my voluptuous hunny's waking up," he pointed, "Should um…someone go and try to calm her down before she freaks out, or what-?"

"You three stay over here," Raine said, "I look the same so it shouldn't scare her as much-"

"Well, then, I can talk to her too-!" Zelos scoffed.

"Zelos, you being you alone is enough to make her freak out if she just wakes up," Raine scoffed.

"Indeed," Presea noted.

"Huh?" Colette blinked.

"Hey! I- I wouldn't do something like that!"

Sheena was up within a few minutes, and it took a substantial amount of willpower to keep the woman calm. Raine's estimate that it had been roughly eight years was supported, seeing as Sheena appeared to be in her mid-to-late-twenties. That, and it was long enough for Regal to start developing gray hair, either that or Regal did not age well in general…

It didn't matter, though, they still brought it up.

"Do we not have more important things to worry about than my hair?" the man asked grudgingly, looking away after Zelos had laughed at the elder male.

"Sure, you've got crow's feet too!" he laughed.

"No he doesn't…his feet look normal," Colette frowned.

They all stared at her.

"Yeah, well, whatever," Zelos rolled his eyes, "What about the brat and my bud?"

"I wanted to save them for last, since they're most likely to…freak out," Raine sighed.

"No kidding, _I'm _trying not to freak out! Look at us! Come on!" Sheena cried.

"Well, you still look ravishing to me, darling," Zelos winked.

They ignored him when he was smacked. The group got into another bout of rapid discussion/freaking-out, so they didn't pay attention to the fact Genis had just opened his eyes….

"Ugh...my head. Feels like someone kic—" Genis stopped, having opened his eyes. He was staring directly at the three women, all of which were staring back at him, heads tilted to the side.

"Genis?" Raine called and he looked at her, then at Colette and then Presea.

"Uh..." his mouth opened a little, eyes darting from one woman to the next. "What's going on? Who's-?" he stopped and his widened as he stared at Presea. "Is that Presea?" he asked in disbelief, a faint blush coloring his cheeks when Raine nodded slowly.

"Yes, Genis." She said after a moment.

Genis continued to stare at her, but then he frowned. "Why is she—?" he turned and then stopped when he saw Colette and the blond smiled and waved at him.

His expression went blank and his face pale. He went to move, but stopped, eyes widening as there was a ripping sound.

Raine started for him. "Genis, try to keep calm—" He ignored her and his hands flew down and lifted the cloak that was covering him, much like Presea had and then slammed it back down. "Genis—" Raine tried again, stepping towards him.

He cut her off, shouting. "What is going—?! Why, am I—?! Ow!" he grabbed his head as Raine cuffed him, his shirt ripping again.

"I told you not to panic." Raine admonished him and he glared up at her.

"How am I not supposed to panic? I'm—she's—" he gestured at Presea and then stopped in mid- sentence, putting a hand to his mouth as he noted the tenor tone coming out of it. "My voice sounds different..." he looked up as Raine knelt beside him. "What the hell happened?!"

Raine allowed the mild swear to pass and spoke to him calmly as she explained what happened, though it frightened her to meet her brother's eyes. It was like staring at a stranger. His face was much narrower; with a more pronounced brow and cheekbones, akin to that of various elder half-elf men, such as Yuan or maybe Forcystus. His hair was much longer, though it was matted and tangled like the others'. He had developed broader shoulders as well and she could tell he had grown much taller, even though he was still sitting.

Genis remained quiet as he listened, but his face grew paler with every word. "S-s-so we're all...older?" he asked in numbing disbelief. "How is that possible?! I mean—"

"We don't know how it happened exactly, but we have other things to concern ourselves with at the moment."

Genis' mouth fell open. "What could be more important than this?!"

"Um...perhaps finding you and the rosebud some clothes?" Genis snapped his head around and found Zelos smirking at him.

Sheena scowled at him. "Does that mean you are offering?"

Genis blinked, clutching the cloak tighter. "I'm not wearing his clothes."

Raine sighed. "They wouldn't fit you either way." She frowned and then turned around. "Colette, do you have an extra outfit that Presea could borrow?"

Colette thought for a moment. "I think so."

Raine nodded. "Good, can you bring it out for her?"

"What about me?" Genis ducked his head, scowling in embarrassment.

"Perhaps Lloyd's clothes would suffice for the moment." Regal offered, glancing at the still sleeping swordsman. "I would think they would fit your new height."

Genis gave Regal a horrified look as Zelos laughed. "Hey, not a bad idea, Old Man, gray hair doesn't seem to have affected your intellect yet."

Regal turned his head to the side, clearing his throat as Sheena punched Zelos. Raine nodded. "I think that is a good idea. You would be roughly his height now. Sheena, go get his extra set."

Genis opened his mouth to argue, but Raine cut him off. "Genis, this is no time to be picky, both Regal's and Zelos' clothes wouldn't fit you and you can't remain in your own."

"But-but—" Genis stammered as Sheena returned holding the clothes. "Fine," he grumbled as Raine frowned at him. Clutching the cloak around him, he grabbed the clothes and wandered away just as Presea disappeared behind a large boulder to change as well.

The rest of them waited, listening to Genis' grumbling. Presea came out shortly, her matted hair hanging down her back in a single loose ponytail, her pigtails gone. She was walking awkwardly, as if she was unsure of her balance. Either she didn't seem to notice, or just didn't acknowledge the strange looks that came across the others faces as she approached. "It is suitable."

"Wow, Presea! You look so pretty with your long hair." Colette smiled brightly. "And the clothes look nice on you too!"

All eyes shifted to Colette and Presea didn't seem to know how to respond to that. Fortunately, Zelos noticed Genis appearing from the rock. "I don't know if that is funny or sad."

Genis glowered as he walked towards them. The bright red color from the boots and jacket made his silver hair stand out drastically and the clothes still seemed just a bit big on him, since he was still short for a grown man, though he was taller than Presea. Gripping the suspenders in one hand and holding the pants up with the other he walked forward, scowling. "Does anyone have a belt?"

"Isn't that what the suspenders are for?" Sheena asked, covering her mouth with her hand, hiding her smile.

"I am not wearing these!" Genis shook the straps in annoyance.

"Well at least the kid has some fashion sense." Zelos shrugged, grinning.

Raine sighed, "Really, Genis it is only temporary and you aren't walking around holding your pants up like that."

Genis scowled, staring distastefully at the suspenders. "I am going to look like an idiot."

"I think you will look fine, Genis," Presea said quietly, causing him to look up. His face flushed as he took in her new appearance and body, which, like Colette's, fit the outfit snugly.

His mind went blank and all he could do was stare at her. Even his usually stammering responses couldn't make it up past his throat as a blush flooded his cheeks.

Zelos grinned and nudged Genis. "I know, eh? Just can't take your eyes off her."

Sheena glared at him and Genis' ears burned in embarrassment. "N-n-no! It's not like that! Shouldn't we be waking up, Lloyd now or something?" he busied himself trying to put the suspenders on, while the others smiled slightly at his embarrassment before discussing how to go about waking Lloyd. After all, being Lloyd, if they simply approached him the way they did everyone else, it could end badly. Thus they threw about ideas, Lloyd grimacing a bit several feet from them...

He heard voices.

Some familiar, some…not as much; still familiar, just…different. One in particular being a man's voice, though for some reason it reminded him a lot of the Sages. With a light flutter his eyes opened, his vision blocked by a curtain of dirty, knotted brown hair. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his vision, pushing himself into a sitting position. As he did so, he thought he heard something rip, but he was far too groggy to pay it much attention. He sat on the ground and brushed his bangs out of his face, yawning a bit as he looked up-

And then was suddenly wide awake.

They didn't notice him, as involved as they were in their conversation, but he took a good long look at all of them. Raine and Zelos were identifiable immediately, Regal, Sheena and Colette not seconds after that, though his eyes widened drastically as he noted their appearances. As for the silver-haired man wearing his clothes and the pinkette wearing Colette's, his first reaction was to wonder who they were before he realized- with horrifying clarity- that he did know who they were.

"What the-?" he started.

He froze in mid-word, not sure he heard himself right.

"…What's going on-?"

He slammed his hand over his mouth, now sure of what he had heard. His voice was…different; not that that was a bad thing, really, that it was deeper…but what startled him was it sounded awfully familiar. Very familiar,, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it...

"I'm telling you, if you wake him up it'll only serve to-" Raine stated.

It was then that she looked back at Lloyd, noting that the swordsman was quite awake, and staring dumbly at them as he covered his mouth with his hand. The group turned to look, all of them falling silent. Mainly because the brown-haired man before them that was their ignoble leader looked very, very much like a certain Seraph that had troubled them in the past. After they stared at him and vice versa, Colette shook her head, walking forward.

"Um…Lloyd?" she said slowly, frowning a bit. "I…are you all right?"

Lloyd said nothing, but replied with a shaky nod.

"Uh, yes, well… You must be very startled," Raine coughed into her hand, "Please, try to keep yourself calm while I explain what's happened- or at least, what we think has happened."

She ignored how strange it was to see that face with that expression, watching as Lloyd slowly nodded, still shaking a bit as his hand covered his mouth. With a start he realized something, looking down at himself. He almost swore but fought back the sound of his own voice, unwilling to hear anything came out of his mouth that sounded like…_that._

"To sum it up, we've either all have been asleep a long time or we have aged rapidly, though it's probably the first one, judging how we're all rather…well, dirty," she sighed, noting her worn pants, "As you noticed…some of us are quite a bit different."

Both she and Lloyd directed their gazes to Genis, who flushed and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. The brunette immediately looked back at Raine, his eyes wide.

"Um…Lloyd? Are you…okay?" Colette asked slowly, frowning. "Why are you covering your mouth like that?"

He shook his head, shrugging a bit, but not taking his hand off his mouth.

"Did you hurt yourself?" she frowned, kneeling down a bit to look at him.

Lloyd hastily stood up- or at least, he tried to, but he found that his sudden height was not as easy to adapt to balance-wise as he had thought. He stumbled a bit and Colette quickly stood beside him, allowing him to lean on her as he tried to righten himself. Still a little shakily, he managed to stand his full height, his mouth dropping a little when he did so. Their reckless leader had reached a height of roughly six foot five, and all present stared up at him as the brunette himself stared finding that he had to do so looking down. He blushed vibrantly and looked away, swallowing nervously.

"H…Holy sh- I thought he was pretty much done growing! What the hell! And just when I thought I'd be around his height…" Genis muttered in his new voice, glaring up at his friend.

"He did get rather tall, didn't he?" Raine paled slightly, looking up at him.

"Can you walk okay, Lloyd?" Colette asked with a frown.

He almost said something but instead just nodded, attempting to walk away from her only to nearly fall over again.

"Lloyd, are you sure you're all right? You haven't…freaked out," Sheena frowned, "I mean, I did, and I didn't change as much as you have…"

He shook his head violently, then nodded, apparently trying to convey that he was fine.

"Why won't you talk, Bud?" Zelos raised an eyebrow. "Somethin' wrong with your voice?"

"Oh no! You didn't lose your voice, did you?" Colette exclaimed, her eyes going wide.

"How could he have lost his voice?" Genis frowned. "There's no reason for him to, we all kept ours and all….well, sort of."

"Er…well, yes, I guess you're right," she frowned, "it's just…"

Lloyd took her hand, beginning to write in her palm. Colette seemed confused a moment before she realized what he was doing, reading what he wrote.

"I'm…fine…" she read, "I…just…don't want to…talk… Huh? Why, Lloyd?"

Lloyd bit his lip and continued to write, the blond frowning a bit.

"I…don't want to…tell- wait, no…I'll…tell…you later?" Colette rose an eyebrow, looking up at the brown-haired man that had taken place of her teenage friend.

Lloyd nodded, and then turned away from her, trying to affirm that that was that.

"O…okay…?" Genis raised an eyebrow.

"Well…at any rate, now that we're all up, we should probably get out of here," Raine said, looking around, "We're not going to get any answers by standing around here."

"Yes," Presea nodded, "That and…well…I…"

A loud growling sound interrupted her as Genis blushed and rubbed his head, glancing aside as his cheeks flushed a light red.

"I um…I'm kinda hungry," he mumbled.

"I am as well," Presea frowned.

"I think we kind of all are," Sheena sighed, rubbing the back of her head, "I guess…we haven't eaten in a while."

"All right then," Raine sighed, "Let's get to Meltokio-…assuming Meltokio is still there, of course-"

"W- What?! Why wouldn't it be-?!" Zelos stammered, his eyes wide.

"We don't know what's happened, Zelos," Raine said, "We need to be prepared for the worst, who knows what could've gone on in the time we've been…here."

"Well, assuming it is there, what are we going to do once we get in?" Sheena huffed. "We're all filthy, no inn will take us…"

"We can just got to my mansion-" Zelos started.

"Zelos, think, what if it doesn't belong to you anymore?" Raine said. "People may think you're dead, if we have been 'gone' as long as we think we have."

"D…Dead?" Zelos' eyes widened.

"Wait…so…" Colette bit her lip, frowning deeply, "Everyone might think we're…dead?"

An uneasy silence fell over the group, Lloyd breaking it when he wrote in Colette's hand again, drawing all of their attention.

"Worry…later….let's get…out of….here….first…" Colette read, then nodded, "Yes, Lloyd's right, we should just get somewhere safe for now."

"We'll think of what to do for lodging when we get there," Raine sighed, rubbing her temple, "until then…let's get a move on."

So they headed off, some of the now-taller members having to lean on someone else a bit as they adjusted to their new balances, they managed to get out of the cavern fine enough-

Except Lloyd, his gaze on the ground and unadjusted to his new height, bashed his head on the archway. He almost swore but fought it back, instead bringing his hand to his head and gritting his teeth.

"Oh! Lloyd, are you okay?!" Colette asked, startled.

He barely managed to nod, hissing a bit under his breath.

Raine had a feeling this whole situation would be a headache.

**Freaky: And thus the torture- I mean, 'fun' begins X3**

**Symphoniafan: You can say that again. XD**

**Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Freakyanimegal: Greetings, inferior beings! D Welcome back to the object of your demise- I mean...fic. Yes. The fic.....**

**Symphoniafan: She is a little weird....well I am too, but...yeah.... Anyway, read on!**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing.**

They were relieved to have gotten out of the temple without encountering any monsters, as awkward as they all were at the moment, it most likely would not have ended well. That, and the fact their weapons had degraded from neglect, which left little doubt of Raine's theory at that point, especially when Genis inspected the wing pack to find all their food had rotted. That was where they were at this point, outside the temple a ways, Genis swearing loudly upon the discovery.

"Great! Just great!" he shouted, his eyes narrowed in fury. "What a lovely fricking day! I mean, who wouldn't want to wake up from a nap bordering on YEARS, be starving and have nothing to _fucking _eat?!"

"Genis!" Raine gasped, shocked by her brother's behavior.

"Don't you 'Genis' me, Raine!" he snapped at her, disturbing her even more when she realized he was looking down. "I am _not _in the mood and I would say I'm entitled to a little frustration right now-!"

"Genis!" Sheena scoffed. "Calm down! It's not her fault, stop yelling at her! You're not the only one who's worked up right now, you know!"

Genis went to shout again and then cut off, letting out a loud, heavy sigh. He hung his head and took a few breathes, nodding slowly.

"Y…Yeah…I'm sorry…you're right," he frowned, "I- I just- I don't know why I got so mad all of a sudden…"

"Well, isn't that natural?" Regal frowned. "You did just technically skip adolescence, meaning the integration of testosterone into your body, so for you to have a few disruptions adjusting to it is to be expected."

Lloyd stared at Regal and the aging man merely sighed.

"He's saying the twerp skipped puberty so he's a little out of whack," Zelos summed up, "Damn, I wish I skipped puberty, you lucky brat! That was a really…awkward time…"

"I…I guess that makes sense…" Genis frowned, "I- Wait, then what about Presea? She did too…"

"I most definitely feel more emotional," Presea said in her usual monotone.

The group merely looked at her, the pinkette frowning and then sighing lightly.

"You…can't tell, can you?" she sighed.

"W- What? T- That's not a bad thing!" Genis said hurriedly, flushing. "It's just that- that you were always mature to begin with, and you're…you're…uh…um…uh…"

He blushed to the tips of his ears and then looked away, shaking slightly. Lloyd raised an eyebrow, smiling in a bemused fashion before he took Colette's hand and wrote in her palm.

"Um…Lloyd says…'What's…the matter…Genis…cat got…your…tongue…'?" she read.

"C- Cat got _my _tongue?! You're the one that's not talking, Lloyd!" Genis accused, pointing up at his friend.

Lloyd winced a bit.

"Ooo, got you there, bud," Zelos smirked.

"All right, everyone calm down," Raine sighed, "We can talk more and go about getting some food when we get to the city, luckily, we still have those rheairds so it should only take a few minutes…"

"Let's hurry," Sheena sighed, "I want to go somewhere where we can freak out about this and not worry about getting attacked."

"Now seriously, why won't he talk?" Zelos narrowed his eyes at Lloyd.

"…'Go…to..'- Well that's not very nice!" Colette frowned, having read what Lloyd wrote.

Luckily, another outbreak was stopped when Genis, who still seemed a bit worked up, took out his rheaird and then back-stepped a bit, staring at it. His friends took note of this, and Presea spoke first.

"What's wrong, Genis?" she frowned.

"Huh-? O- Oh, it's nothing, it's just…it's so much smaller than I remember…" he bit his lip.

No one really knew what to say, Lloyd and Presea also noticed the change and the others found the situation awkward. After a moment, the others proceeded to take out their rheairds as well and they all mounted them. Raine cleared her throat. "When we start to approach Meltokio, we should land a distance from the city."

Zelos groaned. "You mean we will have to walk? Why?"

Regal answered for Raine. "As far as we know, other than ourselves, the Renegades are the only ones who have rheairds. It would be a little alarming for the citizens if we land outside the gates."

"Oh," Zelos frowned. "I guess."

The group took off and in a couple of hours they were standing outside the gates of Meltokio, staring uncertainly through the city gates. Lloyd frowned deeply and- with a little difficulty- stepped froward, looking around the surroundings with a very disturbed expression. Nobody had to ask, it was obvious what worried him. The city walls looked...run-down, crumbling, decaying. They still stood, yes, but it was obvious that they weren't being maintained the way they used to be.

"Looks like the city's hit a rough spot..." Sheena frowned, looking a tad worried.

"At least it stills stands," Regal pointed out, though it was obvious he wasn't too calm either.

Zelos frowned deeply before walking off abruptly.

"Huh-? Hey, Zelos! Wait!" Genis said, following the red-head.

The pink-clad man walked right up to the city gates, where two soldiers were still positioned.

"Huh-? Hey, doesn't he look kinda like...?" started one to the other.

"Like Zelos Wilder, yeah," he nodded, "but y'know he can't be..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. The dead don't come back to life, but..."

An unreadable expression flickered across his face and Sheena noticed he faltered in his usually smooth stride as she and the others trailed after him. She wasn't sure if anyone else had caught the soldiers' conversation or not. She had almost expected to see Zelos waltz up and claim his namesake, despite their early agreement to lay low. But seeing him walk right past the guards, face forward and silent, unsettled her for once.

The mood hovering over the group of companions only thickened as they slowly walked down the citied streets. The once beautiful and lively city was gone. The streets and buildings were familiar, but it felt as if they had walked into a foreign town. The buildings and the roads were in a similar state as the outer walls, with a neglected appearance to them. Abandoned stores and buildings were silent, windows boarded up and debris littered the roads. A few people passed them, giving them nothing more than a glance before continuing on their way.

Genis shook his head in disbelief. "What happened here?"

"It appears the economy's hit a severe recession," Raine frowned deeply, "The market must have had a down-turn since we've been...gone. It's a bit bittersweet, but this works to our advantage...no one will notice us for being dirty and out of place."

"Yeah, great," Zelos huffed under his breath, "I'm ecstatic."

"...Zelos-" Sheena started, frowning a bit.

"So where do we go, huh?" the red-head asked a bit coldly. "Apparently, The Great Zelos Wilder is dead, so I'm guessing his mansion probably doesn't belong to him anymore."

They were a bit put off by his tone and expression, as one would expect. Then again, it shouldn't have been that much of a shock...of course Zelos would be unsettled to see his home like this, not to mention the fact he had just effectively lost everything...

"Let's find an open inn," Raine said, her icy eyes scanning the streets briefly, "Once we get settled we can talk."

No one argued and they turned down the street where the inn used to be. The further they walked the more grim their expression became. For once, Lloyd's expression was one of utter hopelessness as he witnessed the erosion throughout the city. If in eight years the richest city in Tethe'alla could fall to this state, what could they expect from the rest of the world?

Colette was the one who found the inn, noticing the faded out sign above the door and they entered it.

Raine's expression faltered for a moment, before she straigthened and approached the front desk where a man sat, watching them guardedly. "What do you want?" he asked suspiciously.

Zelos scoffed, irritated. "This is an inn, right? What do you think we want?"

Raine gave him a disapproving look before turning back to the wary man. "We need rooms, do you have any?"

The man's face immediately changed and he grinned lopsidedly. "Rooms, well of course! How many would you be needing?"

"Three if that is possible." She eyed the others. She figured that the girls wouldn't be able to share beds without being uncomfortable and the boys...well, Lloyd and Genis would want their own space.

The man grinned widely. "Yes, of course. That will be three-thousand gald."

Sheena grew angry. "For one night?!"

The man just shrugged, still grinning. "A thousand per room. Take it or sleep on the streets."

Lloyd's face twisted in rage and looked as if he wanted to strangle the man, but Raine took the money out and slid it over. "We will take it."

After they got the keys and found their rooms, Genis yelled at her. "Raine, what were you thinking? That was almost all of our money! What are we going to do for food and clothes and stuff?"

Raine sighed. "It couldn't be helped. It is obvious the city has inflated the prices, we wouldn't have been able to gain much with that either way. At least will we will have a meal tonight."

Sheena scowled. "What about after? We all need new clothes and weapons."

Raine shook her head helplessly, when Regal cleared his throat, looking somewhat reluctant. "I may be able to provide funds."

"Hm?" Colette blinked, turning to look at the now aging man. "You mean money?"

"Yes..." he sighed, "You see, when I was realeased to go after Colette I....well, I have this. It's a family heirloom that was returned to me upon my release."

The man managed to pull a stone from his pack, a large, dark obsidion jewel in a gold set.

"W- Where the hell did you get that?!" Zelos gasped, his jaw dropping.

"What? What is it?" Genis frowned, looking at the red-head.

"That's-"

"A very rare and very pricey stone," Regal said, closing his eyes, "It was part of the deal to retrieve Colette as well, that I would receive this back. However, if we are in desperate means...I have no qualms against selling it."

"Let me see it," Raine said, the man handing it to her.

The woman examined it a moment and her eyes widened, her jaw dropping somewhat.

"You sure you want to just give it to us?" Zelos raised an eyebrow. "That's a hell of a pretty penny..."

"Zelos, how much would this be worth- well, would it have been worth, previously?" Raine frowned.

"We're talking three million gald," he said flatly.

Everyone flinched, Lloyd's jaw dropping and Genis and Colette's eyes threatening to fall out of their sockets. Sheena shook her head, the first to recover from the statement.

"Th- That's- Regal! You seriously want to give us-?!"

"No need to worry, I shall be using the money as well, we're a group," the man said, sighing a bit, "That and...I assume I will not be able to fight as well as I did previously, I must make it up somehow."

"Three million gald...?" Raine gaped, still staring at the jewel. "And based on the rate of inflation, if that's any example for the rooms...."

The woman fell silent, her eyes flicking as she calculated the price in her head. Her eyes widened and Genis spoke first, having also been trying to find the result.

"Holy-!" the silver-haired man gasped, jumping just a bit.

Lloyd frowned, tilting his head to the side in order to express his curiosity toward the subject. Raine caught sight of his face- flinching just a bit at the expression- then sighed, shaking her head.

"Though it isn't as much as it was back then, based on the prices, we're looking at about seventeen million gald."

Everyone gaped at her.

"R-" Lloyd started, then cut himself off, grabbing Colette's hand.

"Huh-? Oh...'we...can't...accept this...' I know! It's-" Colette frowned.

"Oh please, we need it," Zelos rolled his eyes, "And y'know, I'd contribute if I could, but the little detail in the way of that is that everything I own has probably been given to someone else."

The ice in the man's tone silenced the protests, the group eying their friend with a mix of concern and sympathy, watching as he shrugged and leaned against the wall.

"Just take it," he muttered, glancing at the floor.

"...Very well," Raine sighed, "Regal, really, we-"

"It's done," he said with a nod, "We must do what we must."

And that was that.

* * *

Clothes.

The men stared at the pile that Raine and Sheena were pulling out of the racks, tossing them into the their arms. Regal was a lucky and managed to find his own attire, but Zelos, Genis and Lloyd were forced to abide by the women's decision.

"We have to make sure Zelos isn't recognized. Make him lose that gaudy pink-coat," Sheena mumbled and Zelos pouted.

"But that is my trademark."

"Exaclty. We need to keep a low profile." Raine nodded in agreement. "Yes, duller, darker colors would be better." she tossed him a brown over coat and white shirt with black pants. "Go try those on."

Zelos looked at them distastefully, but shrugged and disappeared to dress room, leaving Genis and Lloyd shifting nervously wondering at their fate.

Sheena eyed Lloyd, blushing as she tried to determine his size and what she should look for. "I take it you still want something red?" she asked and Lloyd rubbed his neck, nodding.

She sighed, shifting through the clothes and then whipped out a dark red, collared vest. "Here." she tossed it at him and he caught it awkwardly, swaying a little. She kept digging and pulled out a black undershirt like he was already wearing and a pair of dark brown pants. "Try those on."

Raine likewise handed Genis a blue vest, black turtleneck and pair of slacks, which he took reluctantly, grimacing. Raine scoffed. "You can keep wearing those suspenders if you want."

Genis quickly vanished to the dressing rooms, Lloyd tagging behind, when Colette and Presea stepped out from wearing their new clothes a second later. "What do you think?"

Raine bit her lip as she stared at the young girls, the feeling that years had passed by like a beacon when she did. Colette was rubbing her hands nervously, wearing a long white shirt similar to Raines, with a small belt tightening it around her stomach to fit her new figure; almost like a tunic. She wore black tights still, but her boots were simple brown leather now. Her hair was still matted and dirty, but she looked so grown up that Raine felt herself choke up.

Presea was just as different. Her still had that grayish, purple top, but it was shirt style, though longer in the back. She wore simple black pants and dark boots. A simple belt held the shirt added to her new height. Both girls seemed more like strange women than their young girl companions. Sheena stepped forward and handed her similar gauntlets to what she had before. "Wow, you two look amazing!" And both girls smiled, causing Raine to flinch. Even that seemed to make them look older...

Regal stepped out, straightening the cuff on his new jacket. "Yes, you look like young ladies. Raine, Sheena, do you have something picked out as well?"

Raine nodded, holding up a tan jacket. "Got something similar to my other jacket, but the sleeves are only three-quarter and it isn't quite so big." she nodded at Sheena. "And she picked up something that is similar to the Mizuhoan style that men wear."

Sheena nodded. "Yes, it isn't as practical for women to wear everyday, but it is often used for fighting." She indicated the dark blue material and smirked. "I could probably pull off being Orochi if I covered my face."

"You are too voluptous, hunny," Zelos smiled, striding towards them in his new clothes. Sheena swallowed, eyeing his dark brown coat and black pants. Zelos smirked. "It does give me a bad-ass type appearance doesn't it? Are you infatuated?"

As much as Sheena hated to admit, even to herself, Zelos new outfit made her look at him in a new light. His skin was a little more pale against the dark material, but his blue eyes took on a darker tone as a result of it. He was, actually, kind of handsome in it. Sheena scoffed and rolled her eyes, despite her inner reaction. "I am going to change. Coming Raine?"

The pair left and Zelos smiled, following them with his eyes before looking at Presea and Colette. "Hey, not bad Little Angel and Rosebud." he whistled and they flushed. "Beautiful young hunnies, wouldn't you say Regal?"

Regal gave him a disapproving look. "Perhaps you should settle down, Zelos. We are avoiding attention."

Zelos scoffed and turned to look just as Genis and Lloyd walked up, fidgeting with their new clothes. Genis was scowling, tugging at the turtleneck. "I can't believe I have to wear this. I look like a nerd or something."

Lloyd grinned, ruffling his friend's hair and Genis slugged him on the arm. Colette blinked as she stared at Lloyd, but Presea smiled. "Genis is suits you quite well. Makes you look grown-up."

"R-really?" he blinked, looking at himself, flushing.

"Yes." Presea tilted her head, studying him. She was still shorter than him, but his height made him look rather mature, especially in those clothes. His narrower, longer face, his longer limbs. No, she thought, he didn't look like a nerdy little kid he thought he did.

"Well, you look very nice too, Presea." Genis quickly said back, surprised he didn't stutter. Presea just smiled and thanked him.

Colette, however, just stared at Lloyd until he finally noticed and then looked at her curiously. "Lloyd, you look--you look--"

"Like a handsome stud!" Zelos burst out laughing. "You will be pulling in the chicks like a magnet, Bud."

Lloyd blinked, eyes wide and Colette flushed deep pink. Lloyd looked at himself. His arms still showed, much to his embarrasment, that they were more...developed. He was glad for his vest. Even with the undershirt, his new muscles, especially on his stomach, showed through the fitting material. At the least the vest covered it.

Raine and Sheena came out. "Well, now that we all have clothes that fit us and aren't falling apart, we can go and pick out new weapons and get back to the inn to clean up." Lloyd looked at the two, surprised and a little ticked that Raine didn't look that much different. Sheena made him pause for a minute, seeing her dressed in the ninja pants and shirt definitely made her look different, but he suppose that is what they were going for.

The all nodded, staring at one another, trying to get it through that this was their new appearances. Raine and Sheena helped picked gauntlets, and larger boots for Lloyd and fingerless gloves for Genis, while the others snooped through the weaponry.

Genis was looking at kendama's when Lloyd came up beside him, frowning shaking his head. "What's wrong, Lloyd?"

Lloyd chewed his lip and disappeared to the front desk and then returned shortly with a piece of paper and pencil. 'Aren't those a little small for you now?' he showed him the message.

Genis scowled. "Well what else am I going to fight with, huh? I like using the kendama," but even as he said it and grabbed one, he realized that it did feel too small in his hand. His face fell and he slowly placed it back, scanning for larger ones, but they were all the same size. Lloyd frowned and then smiled, motioning him to follow him. Genis did so curiously and found himself at the swords' rack. "A sword?"

Lloyd nodded and searched them, pulling a small rapier-like blade and handing it to him. 'It's light and you can use it to defend yourself too,' he wrote.

Shaking his head, Genis looked at him frustrated. "I don't know how to use one, though."

'I'll help you.' Lloyd grinned as Genis sighed and nodded.

"I guess there is no choice is there."

After haggling at the prices a bit, Raine paid for the clothes and weapons and the group filtered back to the inn, all of them feeling self-concious in their new outfits. Presea's walk was a little unsteady still, and she appeared to be a tad...frustrated. Annoyed more like, whereas Lloyd was keeping his eyes on the ground, concentrating on walking straight. Genis had much the same problem, though he handled it better than his human friend for some reason....likely the height. They managed to get back to the inn well enough, luckily without being mugged...as Raine had been concerned, buying all new things and strolling through town most likely hinted they had some cash on them. Regardless, they arrived back safely, though still tired.

"Okay, so what about dinner?" Genis huffed.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow at his friend, noting what most everyone was. Genis was being very moody...his temper hadn't improved any since earlier.

"For tonight we'll just have to eat here," Raine said, biting her lip a bit, "I imagine the inn still has a kitchen...we can ask to use it. Though we might have to pay to use it now..."

"What about ingredients, he means," Zelos said, frowning, "All our stuff is rotted and we don't-"

"I took care of that," Regal said, holding out his wingpack, "While the ladies were busy finding out how to cloth you, I took the initiative."

"Sweet!" Genis' face lit up. "Ah yes! Thanks, Regal! I'll get cooking right away!"

"As dirty as you are?" his sister frowned. "I think you should wash up first, at the least."

Genis' face fell just as fast as it had lit up.

"Wh-?! Oh come on!" he snapped. "I'm starving, I'm sure everyone else is too!"

"Uhm...I am a little hungry, as I mentioned," Presea said simply, glancing away.

"See! Presea's hungry!" Genis scoffed, gesturing to the pinkette. "I can do that after-!"

"Genis!" Raine snapped. "I MEANT just wash your hands! You can keep your hair back and it should be fine!"

Her brother fell silent.

"...Oh," he said, blinking and then looking away, flushing just a bit.

"...The rest of us can take showers while you cook," Raine sighed, "Then you can after we eat."

"Right..." Genis trailed, biting his lip.

"I bought some fruit and bread," Regal said, "So at least we can have something to hold us over until then-"

He cut off when he realized all the intense looks that he had drawn, a mix of anxiety and aggression. It was clear that the members of the group were all very, very interested in what their oldest member had just said. Raine noted this, despite her own hunger, and put her foot down.

"Look, we're going to be civilized about this, understand?" Raine glared. "We'll pass it out equally, I don't care how hungry you are, don't act like animals!"

Genis growled a bit to himself, glaring at nothing in particular as his companions fidgeted uneasily. They did manage to control themselves well enough as Raine handed it out, though eating it was another matter. The younger half-elf member ravenously devoured what he was handed, shocking his sister, though Presea ate hers just as rapidly, though with far more control. The only one who didn't quickly down what they were given was Colette, who stared in a bit of a scared way at her friends. What could they expect, though? They had literally not eaten in years...it was miraculous they were even alive, one couldn't complain too much about them being insanely hungry. Genis, Presea and Lloyd seemed the most out of them all....likely because the previous pre-teens had just passed though adolesence, and Lloyd's sudden height and mass gain had to have taken some energy as well. However, they managed to go about their plan as Raine put forth. The women were given first dibs on the showering, of course, and Presea was given first use seeing as only one room had a connected bathroom that included a shower. ...Well, the other two did, but they were not working...the place had really been run-down.

"Please be as quick as you can, Presea," Raine said as she walked to the shower in the room.

"Yes," she nodded, closing the door behind her.

"While that's going on....Zelos," Sheena spoke up suddenly.

"Hm-? What," he frowned, "I'm not even near the bathroom, I'm not gonna peak-!"

"Not that-...well, not really that," Sheena rolled her eyes, "I was gonna say...I think we should cut your hair."

Everyone stared.

"W- What?! My hair-!?" he gasped, shocked at the very thought of it.

"It makes you look too much like...you," she huffed, "That and look at it, unless you wanna try to wash it and then take all those tangles out, it'd be easier to just cut it short."

"I agree," Raine frowned, "perhaps we all should get a trim..."

"B- But-!"

"I can handle it," Sheena said, whipping out a kunai knife, "I'm not too bad at doing hair, actually...in Mizuho some of the girls would get me to do their hair before dates. ...Sure, they never talked to me any other time, but...ah, that is, I can do it. I'll cut Presea's when she gets out of she wants me to."

"How come the girls get a choice?!" Zelos huffed, glaring.

"I think I should cut mine too," Colette spoke up, earning stares from Lloyd and Genis, "Oh- not too short, and I'll let it grow out again....just...it's really knotted and stuff..."

"...Colette with short hair?" Genis said simply, gaping at her.

"Well, to my shoulder maybe," she mused.

"It's decided then," Sheena said, "Zelos, get over here."

"W- What?! But I don't want to-!"

"Oh don't complain, it'll be easier to take care of-"

"Why don't you start with Genis?!"

"His hair looks good in a ponytail," she shrugged.

"Wh-?! ...Oh. Ooooohhh...." Zelos blinked, then smirked, "I get it....you like guys with shorter hair more, hm? Ah hah hah...well, my hunny, if you wanted me to fix myself up for you all you had to do was-"

Sheena hit Zelos in the face- closed-fist- and the man yelped, Sheena grabbing his hair and jerking him forward.

"Hold still and I won't have to hit you!"

"You already did!"

Zelos moped as Sheena began snipping at his red locks, the ninja rolling her eyes with every whimper her victim gave. Lloyd blinked and reach up at his own hair. It was about to his shoulders now too....he should probably get it cut. He looked pretty different anyway, they couldn't be worried about someone recognizing him, right? Colette was going to look so odd with short hair....

"Yeah...look, I'm gonna go get started cooking," Genis said, eying Zelos warliy.

"Lloyd, would you mind going with him?" Raine asked, frowning. "I don't want anyone by themselves right now, even if we are in the same building."

Lloyd blinked and then nodded with a smile, walking out with Genis-

And hitting his head on the doorframe again.

"Woah-! Darn it, Lloyd, stop doing that!" Genis scoffed up at him.

Lloyd hissed under his breath and clutched his head, glaring at his shorter friend.

"Well, he had been doing good earlier," Colette frowned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Symphoniafan: Here is the other long delayed update. Hopefully, we can keep it up from now on. Sorry everyone. **

**Freakyanimegal: Hope you enjoy it, it was really fun to do , and I can't wait for next chapter :)**

Disclaimer: Namco owns Tales of Symphonia.

**Chapter 3:**

"What the hell, Raine?"

Genis exclaimed this, slamming his hands down on the table and standing up, snarling- yes, snarling- at his elder sibling. Lloyd put a hand on his shoulder and made a motion to try to hold him back, but the silver-head knocked his hand away.

"It's logical to assume that our stomachs probably can't handle as much as we'd like right now," Raine sighed, crossing her arms, "So we're all going to have to eat in little portions at a time, until our bodies readjust-"

"Readjust? I just went through puberty on an empty stomach, I would say I'm in a severe deficit of energy as of now and I need every damn kilocalorie!"

"I don't doubt that," she said, narrowing her eyes a bit, "I just think it'd be best if we all ate just a little at a time, pace ourselves."

"But-!" he protested again.

"I said you could wait to clean up because we're all hungry and the food is ready!" she snapped. "Everything I'm doing is for the sake of trying to keep us all-"

"What? Healthy! It's not even supposed to be possible for us to be still alive after this long, is it?" he snarled. "So how the hell would you-?"

"Genis," Presea said suddenly, curtly, "Calm down, you're letting your anger get away with you again."

"Shut up, Presea-!"

Lloyd grabbed Genis' shoulders and forced him back into the chair; when the half-elf went to snap at him the human gave him an extremely intimidating glare, silencing him.

"I…I…"

"Calm down, brat," Zelos glared, "You shouldn't be yelling at ladies like that."

Sheena sighed and nodded from beside him, her trimmed and now washed hair back up in her usual style, though the new garb she wore managed to throw it off just a bit, that and her visibly older face. Zelos wasn't exactly the same either, he looked strikingly….different, with short hair. It wasn't short-short, persay, the longer strands reached his shoulders, but the lack of curls left it rather sleek looking. That combined with the black jacket and the like made the flamboyant Chosen look drastically different, not to mention very hard to mistake for female, as was the case previously. Regal's graying hair had been trimmed down to his shoulders as well, and all, with the exception of the two younger males, had already managed to wash up and trim up at this point. Colette's hair fell only to slightly above her mid-back, Raine's hair had been cut back into its previous style and Presea's ponytail came to her mid-back as well. Genis looked around once or twice before hanging his head, taking several deep breathes…

"I'm…sorry," he said finally, sighing, "I'm sorry."

"Presea is the one you yelled at," Raine pointed out.

Genis flinched and looked over at the pinkette whom sat there silently, looking at him.

"…I…I'm sorry, Presea," he flushed a bit, glancing aside, "I shouldn't have- I'm sorry."

"It's all right," Presea said simply, looking away.

"W- Well, okay," Colette forced a smile, "Well, if we have to do what the Professor said, let's do that…we can still eat, we just have to go a little at a time, right?"

Raine nodded.

"Well then, that aside let's eat," Zelos grinned, pulling up a chair at the table in the inn's kitchen.

"Finally," Sheena sighed a bit, patting her stomach.

They did as they were instructed- however reluctantly, seeing as both Raine and Regal enforced that they take only a little at a time. They all did that, of course, but with an exception or two.

"How come Lloyd gets more?" Genis shouted.

"Because he's almost seven feet tall," Raine said flatly, "Well, that's an exaggeration, but he is still quite large, obviously he can handle more."

Lloyd smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his neck with an apologetic expression.

"Argh, whatever," Genis huffed, slouching down again.

Raine sighed and rolled her eyes just a bit, shaking her head in a mix of disdain and irritation. This was going to get very frustrating….and seeing as Genis devoured his first serving before Raine had even truly started, she only confirmed her suspicions. Presea finished seconds after and Lloyd done not an instant later. Hm….perhaps she was taking the wrong approach, Genis had a point, perhaps he and Presea should be eating more….

"It tastes so good, it's like I haven't eaten in years-…okay, yeah, that one was ironic, on me," Sheena sighed a bit.

Genis went to grab some more and flinched, shooting a glance at Raine. It bothered her to see him like this…not only the fact that her baby brother was now an adult, but to see him this…animalistic. He was highly aggressive and it was obvious he wanted nothing more than to eat everything on the table as fast as he could. She sighed and shoveled a few large servings onto her own plate, placing it before him.

"Presea, you too," she said.

Genis blurted a quick thanks before shoveling in, Raine resisting a scowl at his rude mannerisms. Presea quickly did the same thing, however, though again far more elegantly. Lloyd watched them with a blink or two, frowning just a bit, but still didn't say anything. Raine looked at him and sighed again.

"All right, fine, everyone eat but please at least try to eat slowly-"

Lloyd grinned widely and grabbed another serving of potatoes before his teacher even finished. The others followed in much the same fashion. Raine sighed to herself before sitting down again, taking a bit more for herself as well, though a bit reluctantly. Once they had all finished eating there was a chorus of contented sounds as they leaned back in the chairs, their stomachs satisfied.

"Well..." Raine sighed a bit. "I'm guessing we'll all be sick after this. Let's try not to move around too much."

It was getting late by the time Lloyd's turned to use the bathroom came. Everyone else was all clean and redressed, resting awkwardly. He noticed some of them casting long glances at him as he grabbed his bag of new clothes and walked to the bathroom, but he pushed it aside.

Everything felt so weird. His perspective had changed dramatically and now he felt like he was looking down on everyone rather than at them. He didn't really like the feeling, but Raine scolded him whenever he tried to slouch, saying it would ruin his posture.

He sighed a bit, trying to ignore the anxious looks his friends were giving him as he entered the bathroom and shut the door. He didn't understand why they were so worried, then again, maybe it was because he still hadn't talked since they had left the Earth Temple.

Lloyd felt his cheeks heat up as he recalled the deep, heavy voice that had left his mouth earlier that day. It had startled him more than anything, and he couldn't make himself speak out again. It had just sounded weird and...strange.

Sighing again, Lloyd set his clothes on the bathroom counter and started to undress. It was then, from the corner of his eye he noticed the mirror. He froze and turned fully to look into the mirror. The glass was smeared with condensation from the earlier showers. His eyes widen slightly and he slowly reached a hand to wipe the fog from the mirror.

A pair of large russet eyes stared back at him, partly shadowed by drooping dark hair. A strong jaw, broad forehead and pronounced cheekbones angled his face into a stranger's. Yet it wasn't a stranger. His eyes widen as his hands shook and he stumbled back, his legs buckling and his feet slipping on the damp tiled flooring. He watched the man's face twist into disbelief and horror as he felt himself hit the wall with his back. His hand frantically reached out for some sort of support only to catch the small towel stand.

Lloyd fell with a loud crash, the stand thudding as he knocked it to the ground. He gasped for air, his eyes fixated on the mirror hanging on the wall, condensation trickling down the glass in long tendrils.

"No." His voice deep and his breathing hard. He couldn't get the image out of his mind. The face, the eyes, the—

"Goddamn it, no—" his voice cracked a bit and he snapped a hand up to his throat, gripping as it, too, betrayed him. This wasn't his voice, this wasn't his face! He gasped, eyes shutting tightly as he heard the pounding of feet rushing towards him.

He struggled to stand as Colette's voice rang through the door. "Lloyd? Lloyd? Are you alright?" She knocked urgently, but softly.

"I-I'm fine." He shook as he pushed to his knees, his large hand on the wall. Even that wasn't his. What was left of himself? What was left that didn't resemble-

"Lloyd?" Colette tried again, and he realized he hadn't spoken above a whisper. He swallowed, struggling to fight against the childish fear and raised his voice.

"I'm fine, Colette."

There was a pause and then he heard her trying the door handle and he panicked inside.

"No! Don't come in—" He choked again, grabbing at his throat and he felt his body shake. He reached over to grab hold of the sink, trying to pull himself up.

"Lloyd? Are you okay?" Colette's quiet voice slipped through the door. He heard more footsteps and he tried desperately to calm himself, knowing who it was.

"Lloyd, we're coming in." Raine's stern tone harsher, yet still concerned. "Are you dressed still?"

"Don't come in!" He snapped and practically recoiled from the harsh commanding tone. He choked suddenly and his hand slipped from the sink and he dropped back down to his knees, shaking.

His eyes stung and he didn't even notice as the door opened and Raine stepped into the bathroom, kneeling beside him. "Lloyd, just breathe and calm down. And you hit your head—"

Lloyd slapped away her hand before it touched his head, his hands trembling and his throat dry. "D-don't—"

Raine sighed, rubbing her face. "Lloyd, I know this is difficult to accept but we all—"

"You knew." He spoke, his voice almost a hiss. His head stayed low and he struggled to still the trembling in his hands. His large, foreign hands, and face, and body and—

"Knew what, Lloyd?" Raine asked after a moment. "We all look older, you should have expected—"

"I look like him!"

Raine immediately went silent, her eyes lifting from Lloyd to Colette, who stood in the doorway. He heard her shift, uncertainly before stepping in closer. Raine sighed quietly next to him.

"Lloyd, I understand how...upsetting this must be for you, but you don't look that much like—"

Lloyd lifted his head, his eyes narrowing angrily at her lie and he saw her shut her mouth, the slight stiffening in her shoulders betraying her attempts to comfort him.

"You knew I looked like—" he hesitated, struggling to speak around the strangled tone in his throat. It wasn't even like he was speaking, but someone else. Like he had stolen someone else's body. _His_ body...

"Lloyd don't be ridiculous. Yes, you share some similarities, but you don't resemble him...entirely. Your hair is darker as are your eyes. All boys develop in their face and... bodies." Raine, frowned, struggling to find a type of purchase to at least convince Lloyd. "I'm sure once you shower and clean yourself up, you'll notice a difference."

Colette knelt down before him and Lloyd lifted his face hesitantly, seeing her worried smile. His eyes took in her face, her more sleek features and womanly appearance. He suddenly felt stupid and childish, realizing how everyone must have gone through this same realization. He was overreacting. Raine was right, as soon as he cleaned himself up and wiped on the mirror, his reflection would be more clear.

He took a shuddery breath, forcing himself to smile back at Colette before nodding, more to himself than them. "You're right. I'm sorry, I just..." he trailed off, still flinching at the way his voice carried itself so strongly. Would he ever get used to the sound of it? Would he get used to any of it?

"It's quite alright, Lloyd. We understand." Raine stood slowly, sighing as if the simple movement was difficult for her. Or was it something else? She looked, tired. But he didn't think it was from exhaustion.

She left without a word, leaving Colette crouched next to him, the cooling humidity of the bathroom making her hair cling to her pronounced cheeks and slim features. He felt his face heating up, realizing how close she was to him, his eyes traitorously roaming her body before forcing them up to her face.

Colette's eyes seemed to jerk up as well and Lloyd suddenly felt the absence of his shirt and realized she had been scanning him as well. With a sudden jerk he found himself pushing up, stumbling a bit as he struggled to gain his balance, using the sink to steady himself as he coughed. "Uh-...I'll shower now." He spoke quietly, his eyes elsewhere, though he watched her from the reflection in the mirror. He saw her blushing, the pale pink, flourishing across her cheeks as she quickly stood too and backed out of the bathroom.

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry." Her soft voice, he just sudden realized was deeper as well, but not husky like his own. It was more supple and musical, at least to him and he found his head turning to look at her in surprise. But as he turned the door shut quietly, cutting her off from view and Lloyd stood uncertainly, wondering if perhaps he had been mistaken.

His eyes turned to the side once again, catching his reflection before quickly snapping away as he moved out of view of the mirror. He quickly undressed and stepped into the shower. He let the water run cool across his face, trying desperately to wash the heat from his cheeks.

The steam covered the mirror again and he lowered the towel from his face, eyeing the glass anxiously. He saw the shape, a silhouette, a misshapen form, blurred and disfigured by the moisture. He needed to know, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to see that face again. He didn't want to compare himself to that man. He knew the similarities were there. He knew now that was what his friends had seen in the Earth Temple.

He gripped the sink throw the worn towel, his hands curling around the lip, his large, strange hands. But they were his. He could feel the threadbare towel, the way the cloth bunched under his knuckles. He felt the hard marble beneath the tips of his fingers, the smooth surface making his fingers tingle from the pressure. Yes. They were his hands and he controlled them.

His eyes lifted back to the mirror, staring at the barely discernable face that stared back. Droplets of water broken through the barrier, allowing thin streaks of the face to peer back at him and he trembled involuntarily.

His hand lifted and he brushed it across the mirror. A single wide strip revealed his face and a second swipe revealed his shoulders. He felt the broadness suddenly as he saw them for the first time. He could feel the weight, the strength and width. He gripped the sink more tightly, suddenly afraid he would teeter and lose balance and fall once more.

Lloyd quickly moved his eyes up as if to save himself from the realization, only to immediately regret it.

The face was expressionless, save for the tightness of his jaw caused by his clenched teeth, the thin line of his mouth to keep from shouting out, and the way his eyes widened ever so slightly as they moved scanning the person before him. His hair hung damply over his eyes and he shakily brushed it back out of his face. His nose was too large, his jaw too broad and his brow...it all looked wrong and yet—

It didn't.

He studied the face. His face. He leaned ever closer, noting the way his nose still sloped in the same angle, the shape only enlarged. His fingers lifted, tremble as he turned his head slightly, touching his cheeks and realizing they had changed only little, but the overall structure still resembled his face from before.

Slowly his fingers mapped out his features, tracing the oddities and the familiarities. Gradually the face became his own, just older and he wondered why he had been so afraid.

He straightened slowly and stared at himself, eyes locking. Suddenly it was back, in the corner of his vision, when he didn't see each feature individually but as a whole, he saw _that _face again.

_His _face and it made him jolt and pull back, breathing in sharply.

He looked away and grabbed his shirt, pulling it over his head quickly. He dressed with trembling hands and he breathed deeply to calm himself. As he straightened he turned once again to face mirror. He flinched as he frowned, quickly brushing his hair up again. It was long and unruly and it drooped down over his eyes. His frown deepened and he ran his fingers through it again, stubbornly attempting to keep it out of his eyes and to avoid that certain resemblance it made.

After a few minutes he gave up. They would cut it, he reasoned with himself and he collected his old clothes and left the bathroom, tense and uneasy. He knew they would react the instant they saw him.

As he thought, they indeed reacted. All eyes had locked on him and he distinctly saw Genis' already fair skin pale a bit, nearly blending into his silvery hair. Raine and Regal scanned him intently, their custom frowns tracing their lips, the kind of look they got when they were attempting to scan something, to take it apart and figure out what it was exactly they were seeing.

Presea regarded him in much the same calculating manner, though far less disturbed by it- or at least that's what her expression showed. Zelos...was interesting. The redhaired man had barely spoken since they had settled in, instead leaning against the wall and staring out the window at the dark streets, uncharacteristically quiet, still...it was pretty unnerving now that he thought of it...

But then, they all had an oversurge of 'unnerving' at the moment...still it was a litlte- odd. Zelos had turned to scan him as well, and his eyes narrowed much like Raine and Regal's had, but a frown didnt' accompany it. There was something more...unnerving about that look, almost angry, like somehow looking at him was making their resident philanderer mad...

Then again, he hated his face, why wouldn't they? The face that betrayed them. The face of their enemy. How could they look at him and listen without wondering why he resembled their enemy so distinctly. Even his hair mimicked that man's. They had all seen it before, before Lloyd had even put it together. They hadn't said anything now, they tried to pretend it wasn't there, that they were imagining it. But nothing about it was imaginary. He bore the face like it was own-it was his own and he shared it with the one man they all loathed.

He shook his head a bit, trying to ignore the feeling, the thoughts. No, dwelling on that wasn't going to help anything, and he'd dwelled on it far too much already at any rate. No matter how much he thought about it it wouldn't change, and they wouldn't change how they saw- no, that was enough-

Then he noticed Colette and Sheena.

Sheena was staring at him, but oddly, not at his face. Huh...what? He figured they'd be over his height by now and more focused on his ...appearance

Then there was Colette.

He swallowed and tried to fight the impedning burn on his cheeks and the red rising up to his ears, locking his brown eyes with her shining blue ones. She looked so much better all clean, with her hair shining gold, the beautiful locks draping down her neck, to her chest, her surprisingly no longer flat che-

"Uhm...Lloyd?" Colette interrupted his thoughts.

He jerked, immediately redirecting his eyes to her face. Again? Dammit what was wrong with him? ...Well- it wasn't his fault, really, she was just pretty- ...

Lloyd sighed deeply, closing his eyes and brining up his hand to rub his face, frowning and furrowing his brow.

He opened his russet eyes just in time to notice every had stiffened again, staring at him.

"W- What?" he said, forgetting in an instant of discomfort about his awkwardness with his own voice.

"Ah, he speaks," Zelos cracked a small smirk, though his eyes remained narrow, "Good job, Bud, you remembered how. Guess you're smarter than I gave you credit."

Lloyd shot him a dirty glare and the Chosen's smirk faltered, going serious once again-

"Shut up, Zelos," he half growled half pouted, his hands clenching at his sides.

Then there were more stares.

"...Well that was one of the weirdest things I've seen in my life," Genis muttered under his breath, hoping to Martel Lloyd hadn't heard him.

He didn't, but that didn't really matter.

"A- all right," Lloyd cleared his throat, trying once again to make it resemble something akin to familiarity, "So...we're all fixed up now, right? We'll get some rest and tomororw we'll go back to the Earth Temple and figure out what the hell happened to us."

"Yes," Raine nodded, "Even if we don't succeed in discovering the cause of this, we have to finish the pact with Gnome at any rate."

"So either way we're going back to the caverns," Presea surmised.

An unsettling feeling washed over the group.

"Y- you don't think..it'll happen agian, do you?" Genis hesitated, glancing around at his companions.

"Unlikely," Regal said, "the chances of something like this happening are nearly impossible as it is, to happen twice...even less likely."

"Yeah well it was unlikely it'd happen the first time now wasn't it?" Zelos growled, pushing off from the wall and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I don't know about you all but I'm half-hoping I'm just about to wake up with a bad hangover."

No one answered him, though they didn't have to really: they all knew everyone of them was hoping this was some kind of dream.

* * *

It took him a moment to realize where he was, to realize the village for what it was. It was Iselia, the familiar buildings, the landscape, the village he had grown up in.

No wait-...this was always how the dream started.

This village, normal, as he remembered it, then bursting out into flame, fire exploding from nowhere, engulfing the wood, burning everything to the ground...

Then the rain, then Marble's dead body, the villagers confronting him, accusing him, blaming him...and it was his fault. He knew it was, it was all his fault...

However this time the dream did not progress like that.

No fire, no screams, no cries, no bodies, no accusations...

He hesitated, looking around, wondering what was happening, if perhaps for once this dream would be something other than horrible.

Hesitantly he stepped forward, and nothing around him changed, nothing at all. No one was around, and he continued walking, looking around, walking past the familiar shop that he would visit with his friends, sitting on the steps sharing a snack...

His reflection caught in the glass window and he stopped, turning to it, find a spiky-haired seventeen year old boy looking back.

Lloyd blinked and smiled weakly, his body relaxing, unable to find himself questioning this. It was just a dream after all...

It was nice to see his own face looking back at him, after all, what was so wrong about that?

With no one around and no one appearing, he slowly approached his reflection, gently placing his hand on the surface, looking into his own russet eyes-

A loud shredding sound ripped through the air, Lloyd's eyes widening as a gasp choked his throat. His hand had doubled in size, ripping through the red fabric, the shreds clinging to his hand, dangling.

He yelped and withdrew his hand, only to jerk again as the red thread began to rip up his arm as the muscles underneath bulged and grew, the bones stretching, reaching up to his shoulders.

With another cry he felt the change speed through him rapidly, converting his body in seconds as he fell onto his knees, gasping, trying to ignore the way his voice deepened.

No- come on- why-

"Get out."

The voice again, the mayor, like he appeared in every dream of Iselia, telling him to leave, banishing him. He knew to turn around he'd see him, the rest of the villager, scowling at him, loathing him, blaming him...

He lifted his head up, spotting their reflections behind him, as well as his own foreign face.

"We don't allow strangers in our village!"

Lloyd choked, his eyes widening. Strangers-? No-

"I'm- not a-" he turned, his knees still shaking in the ground.

The villagers had changed, or rather they were changing, they began to age and whither before him, decaying and falling to dust as the village began to rot and fall apart around them.

All the while they kept saying it, mutters, shouts, a cacophony of noise crying 'stranger'. Lloyd let out a cry and scrambled back, his back against the building as it too fell into dust around him. He looked around desperately, for something- anything that could give him some sort of escape, anything-

Then he caught sight of a dwarf among the ruins, standing there silently, his eyes on him.

"D- Dad!" he shouted, reaching out for the dwarf, who seemed to shrink away from him as his hand outstretched.

"Who are ya callin' yer Dad?" Dirk scowled, frowning. "Ya don' look like mah son ta me."

He withdrew, choking on his own saliva, trying to ignore the tears brimming and stining inside his eyes.

No- no no no- NO!

His eyes snapped open, choking on the sharp intake of air he had breathed in the process.He shivered violently as the sweat cooled in the night air. He rubbed his bare arm, wishing he could wake up from this nightmare as well. He flinched as he heard a door shut with a click and looked up, wondering if he woke the others.

Regal and Genis slept soundly, though the half-elves face was twisted slightly into a grimace. Lloyd knew all to well he was probably reliving a nightmare as well.

His eyes scanned over to Zelos' bed only to find it empty. It took him a moment, still groggy from his restless sleep. He shifted and rose from his bed, grabbing his new jacket as he moved quietly to the door. It wasn't safe for any of them to be alone. Least of all Zelos in Meltokio.

He stepped out of the room, looking around, but the inn was silent and empty. Lloyd frowned anxiously and hurried out the door. A nagging inclination directed his feet down the streets, though he wasn't really sure where the ex-chosen was really heading. None of them were thinking with a clear head right now.

He hurried down the dark streets, catching a glimpse of the man ahead as he headed up the city levels.

The Ex-Chosen didn't look around very much, though to say he was unaware of his surroundings would have been a lie. Every step he took kicked up a little dust, everthing passing through the corners of his eyes felt like it was insulting him. The wilted gardens, the eroding benches, the litter and heaps of garbage that lay about chaotically on the once bright tiles. This city used to be brimming, lively, buzzing, bright, clean, the pride of the world.

He used to roam these streets, out on the town, usually, but...

Sometimes just to get away from the stuck up assholes up in the noble quarters, with all their fake faces and smiles...feh, they were probably still partying and prattling over nonsense.

That's how these things worked, the poor got poorer and the rich got richer...always how it worked. Even if the rich had gotten richer, it didn't matter...the richness of this city was gone, the richness of its people was gone.

His memories...his life...gone...

He stopped suddenly, midway up the steps to the noble quarters, wondering why he had even gone so far. His eyes closed and he stuffed his hands into his pockets, lowering his head, letting the cold air flow past his skin.

"Shouldn't you be resting, Bud?'

Lloyd paused for a moment, but then moved up beside him. "So should you."

"Hm, yeah well...wasn't very restful sleeping, but you should know about that hm, Bud?" his narrowed eyes slid up to his face, his expression dark.

"Did I wake you?" he asked quietly, not looking at him, but at the eroding buildings before them.

"Nah...was up already," Zelos looked away, letting out a 'heh' with a bitter smirk.

Lloyd didn't return the smirk, his eyes turning to look at Zelos. He could sense the bitterness in him. Something was eating him away since they had entered Meltokio. He remembered the look on his face when they had past the city guards.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" the man closed his eyes, shrugging lightly. "I told you I was up already, geez."

"I lost my home too, a long time ago," he hesitated, looking at the buildings again. "I suppose it's different since it was my fault, but I think I understand what you are feeling."

"Oh?" Zelos frowned abit, his eyes opening, though he didn't look at him. "...Yeah I heard about that I think...your village was destroyed."

He was silent a moment.

"...Y'know, I always thought everyone'd be better off without me," he said, "A lot of people didn't want me around, I started not wanting me around either...but...heh, sad thing is that now that I see this I wish I had stayed around."

"Zelos..." He frowned, uncertain. "Maybe there are a lot of people that think that, but..." he hesitated again. "There are lot of us that don't mind you, you know?"

He smiled weakly, turning to look at him.

"...That so?'

"Yeah. Or so I've heard."

"Hah hah, funny, Bud," Zelos rolled his eyes, but smirked a little nonetheless, "Hm...that's...nice to hear, I'll admit..."

Lloyd grinned, not realizing how relieved he felt to see Zelos smirk. "Even if it's just a couple of country bumpkins?"

"Yeah sure," he chuckled, eyes closed, "Still..." His smirk fell, frowning, his eyes opened and staring intently at nothing.

"I suppose I have a clean slate now...that everyone thinks I'm dead," he muttered. "Guess that means I can start playing this honourably..."

"A clean slate is good." Lloyd agreed. "Zelos, if I can, I'm going to do everything I can to help make this right." He turned to look at him fully, frowning a bit determinedly. "I know it's going to be hard, but I'm going to try, for everyone. And that includes you, alright?" He held out his hand, offering it with a determined, but small smile

Zelos blinked and scanned him intently a moment, his frown deepening. The man scanned Lloyd's face and his outstretched hand, thinking to himself in silence. Was he for real? Heh...then again...he supposed he should have known better by now.

"...Yeah," he cracked a smirk, taking his hand, "Yeah yeah, I get it, just no more getting sappy on me, all right? That's only nice when chicks do it."

Lloyd made a face at him, but then laughed, it was loud and deep and sounded strange coming from him. Still, he smiled broadly, giving Zelos' hand a firm shake before releasing it. He turned looking up at the building before them. The old mansion held memories of a time long past, but Lloyd knew it wouldn't change things now. One day this building would belong to Zelos again. Lloyd would make sure of that.

He turned and grinned at Zelos. "We should head back before anyone misses us. It's still pretty late."

"Yeah I guess...hey, Bud, know what the best thing is about a clean slate?" he cracked another smirk.

Lloyd looked at him, thinking for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, what?"

"The fun of mucking it up again, of course!" Zelos laughed, slapping his hand on Lloyd's back. "Soon as we find an open bar I'm going to get plastered and pick up the new generation of young hunnies..."

Lloyd grunted at his slap, but he rolled his eyes and laughed again. "You really haven't changed at all, Zelos." And he spoke it with a smile.

"Hm...yeah well. We'll see about that," he yawned loudly, "should get back for now, need my beauty sleep."

Lloyd scoffed a bit, smirking and nodded, leading the way back.

It was surreal, to say the least, that the bumpkin kid was wearing the old man's face, but to witness it smile and laugh was a whole other league. Then again...it's not like he was a kid anymore; a bumpkin was debatable, but the bumpkin was certainly starting to talk like a man.

**Symphoniafan: So that's another update, hope you all enjoyed it. Please review.**

Freakyanimegal: allow me to fangirl incessently at the Lloyd fanservice (fangirls)

**Review please! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Symphoniafan: I suppose I can be blamed again for the slow update. I always seemed to be falling behind in this partnership...**

**Freakyanimegal: well at least you update wbtw, which I loves 3 so all is forgiven? lol**

Disclaimer: Namco owns Tales of Symphonia

**Chapter 4:**

Meltokio's walls stretched out towards him, the dusty road being swallowed by the black shadows. Behind the sun rose, the heat grew steadily, but Kratos didn't notice, his eyes unfocused on the city ahead of him. It seemed pointless, this trek he insisted on. Even with Noishe as his constant companion again, he felt as if he were on a futile journey that'd never end. There had been no word in years, no sign of them. But he had made that mistake before, not again. He wouldn't abandon him again.

Voices rose in the quiet morning, his eyes blinking to look towards the city gates. He watched quietly, pausing on the road as he watched a group of travellers exiting the city. They were arguing about something, their voices rising, mostly from the young male with silver hair. There was something familiar about him, but from this distance, Kratos couldn't tell.

Then the others came out. A young woman, gripping the hand of a tall male. Kratos stiffened his eyes focused on the frowning face, the deep voice chiding the younger male. His feet moved forward, betraying him and he watched as the figure developed before his eyes.

He studied the dark hair, the way the broad forehead frowned as he drew the young male from the woman. The structure, the way his shoulders widened, filling his clothes and showing the obvious muscles beneath. He was tall, very tall. At least a foot over the red-headed male, next to him.

Perhaps he was denying what he saw, refusing to notice the similarities he saw among the others. He refused to admit who they were and who the young man was. He could see it, the way his hand rested on the sword at his side, the angle and pressure he put on his one leg. The confidence and yet a sense of unfamiliarity showing in his face.

Kratos' steps faltered, his eyes wide, less than a few feet from them. He took in the others, the Chosen, no longer a girl, but a young woman. The young ones, now teenagers, and even the smaller changes of the older ones. They were all there, all alive and there. Still, his eyes were drawn back to the young man that now replaced his son. It was Lloyd, but it was a Lloyd that he hadn't even imagined.

Then Lloyd's head lifted, his eyes meeting Kratos' and the world stopped.

"...Guys-" he began, forcing out the voice that felt so foreign to his body.

However, he never got to finish his sentence, which may have been an inconvenience or a blessing, depending on what he thought of it at the instant.

"Oof-!"

He found himself knocked flat on his back, hearing his friends exclaimed in surprise as he felt the familiar yet somehow strange feeling of a big wet tongue lapping up his face and the panting whine of the creature atop him

Lloyd's eyes widened as he realized the sound and presence, gasping a bit as he heard the beast that had pinned him to the ground let out a whine

"Noishe?" he blurted, so surprised he paid no heed to his voice.

Noishe responded with another whine and lapped his face, his tail wagging violently behind him as his ears twitched, creating small gusts of wind with their size.

Yes it was Noishe. Part of him exploded with joy at being greeted by his eldest friend, but another part of him found itself near horrified

Noishe wasn't nearly as heavy as he used to be, still heavy yes, but not as much as he had remembered. That and his paws felt smaller pressed against his torso and arms, not like how he had remembered with the big loping paws that nearly took up his entire chest.

It unnerved him a for what felt longer than it was, but then his mind snapped back to his situation and his brain decided he could muse this once he wasn't being coated in dog saliva.

"Noishe! Get off me!" he shouted, struggling to move the animal off of him

Grabbing the scruff of Noishe's neck, he again found his pet smaller than he remembered...and far too much easier to be slowly pushed off

"Noishe! Off!"

As the young man struggled to get the protozoan off, Kratos could only stare. Noishe had rushed and tackled the young man, despite how the years cast a difference upon the boy.

Instantly, Kratos felt his heart stop, noting the resemblances instantly. The hair color; the familiar group of people surrounding the man and protozoan. But something was off...

The sound of his voice confused him. It was much too deep and he realized as the young man got up, that his height shockingly different. It was impossible to consider and yet...

It was Lloyd, his mind reasoned. It had to be...or it wished it. He found himself hoping, leaning toward the possibility that it was in fact true. Yet the image in his mind argued with him. The one that had desperately clung to the memory from the fear of losing his son again now clashed with what he was desperately trying to believe.

It was his son. It was Lloyd.

For a moment he could only stare, frozen in place as his body was in time, though as if to balance that his son, a grown man, finally met his eyes. A myriad of emotions flicked through the russet irises; shock, confusion, anger, fear...everything that passed through his eyes years ago, when he had been a boy...

"K- Kratos?" He half-accused and half asked.

Of course he would be unsure, why wouldn't he? After all...he hadn't aged, he hadn't changed, in eight years he still looked exactly the same as he had when he 'met' Lloyd, and in over twenty years looked the same as he had when he had met Lloyd's mother...

"How the-?" Lloyd shook a bit, unsure, wary. "You-"

"...Lloyd," he said finally, managing to keep his voice from hitching.

It wasn't really an answer, he supposed, but it was a confirmation enough. Silence descended upon the group, all eyes staring on him, but his were only focused on his son. So tall...he'd grown that much...?

Lloyd shook, teeth gritted and eyes wide, trying to keep some kind of composure. However he didn't seem to get control if it quickly enough for Raine's tastes, as she stepped forward.

"You are Kratos then, aren't you?" She asked sharply, her eyes narrowed.

Kratos said nothing, he barely looked at her, his eyes still on his son, trying to figure out what to do, what to say...

"Well?"

He frowned a bit, but then nodded, turning his gaze onto the half-elven woman a moment.

"I understand you're wondering as to my appearance, however...I am wondering as to yours as well."

"You-" Lloyd's fists clenched at his sides, his lip curled up in a snarl. "How the hell haven't you aged? I thought you were a- What are you doing here? I-"

"Cruxis assumes you are dead, as are the Chosen and your companions," Kratos interjected simply. "Wherever you've been and whatever you have been doing, I suppose it gave you the desired effect. You're completely off Yggdrasill's radar."

How was it that after all this time, with his son finally before him, alive, healthy, he still only could manage just to report things like that as callously as ever? As stoically, as ...coldly. This was the second time, the second time he had found his son miraculously alive, breathing, in front of him and he couldn't even...

There was so much, so much over so many years of thinking his son lost to him that he had wanted to do. To tell him, tell him everything, to confess his crimes and his love, to hold his child close and tell him about his mother, about his childhood, about how proud he was of him, about how much he loved him.

"Wh-" Lloyd growled, drawing a sword. "Well you're not going to be telling him anything-

"No, I'm not," he answered flatly. "Cruxis thinks you're dead and they will continue to think such."

Lloyd's eyes widened a bit and he frowned, confusion flicking across his face. Of course he would be skeptical, he didn't know any better, and that was his fault as well. Noishe interrupted with a whine, brushing against Lloyd and then trotting over to Kratos, who noted him sparingly.

"What-? Noishe what are you-? What are you doing with him?" Lloyd blurted, frustrated, unsure.

Kratos frowned, trying to shoo the protozoan away with a wave of his hand and a warning glare. The 'animal' paid him no heed, rubbing against his hand and pleading to be petted. Noishe gave him no heed and Kratos suppressed a sigh, turning up his russet eyes to his sons. Their eyes met and for a moment all was silent, when then…finally…

"Who are you?" Lloyd said, his deep voice quivering just a bit.

"…What are you talking about-"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Lloyd shouted, his fists clenching at his sides. "Who are you? Who are you- t- to me! To me, dammit!"

He tried to speak, but then realized he wasn't sure what he was going to say. What could he say? Wasn't it obvious now, anyway? His friends had figured it out already, hadn't they; by the looks they were giving him? Wasn't it obvious, when Lloyd so clearly wore his own face? What did they expect him to say? What could he possibly say that would be appropriate for this situation? There wasn't anything…

"I take it angels have means of appearing younger than they are, Kratos?" Raine spoke.

He said nothing. It was obviously true.

"…What's your relationship to Lloyd?"

Lloyd flinched, but said nothing, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Kratos scanned him, then the group, frowning more as he weighed his options. Was there any point….

No. There wasn't any point. There was no longer a point to this, there was no longer the excuse of concealing it to protect him; the excuse of 'better if he doesn't know' was broken as well, his friends knew, he would know shortly if he didn't already know.

Slowly Kratos made his decision; he reached into his collar and slipped the chain of the locket around his neck, holding it in his palm. They watched him and he silently handed it to Noishe, who scanned Kratos a moment before taking it in his jaw. The protozoan trotted back to Lloyd, the locket safely in his jaws, then sat in front of Lloyd, waiting for him to take it. Lloyd stared at him, then at Kratos and then back at the locket before hesitantly reaching to take it. His hand was shaking a bit, they noticed, but still he took it, wiping Noishe's saliva from it with the back of his glove. He scanned the oval pendant a moment before unclasping it, which was a little difficult with his too-large hands.

Then he saw the picture.

His brown eyes widened and he nearly staggered, backstepping. Raine closed her eyes, nodding to herself the confirmation of what had just occurred. The others eyed Lloyd and then Kratos, some of them having already made the realization when they first woke up.

"So you're his father," Raine said when no one spoke.

Lloyd breathed hard, his eyes darting up, meeting Kratos'.

Kratos said nothing.

Then he nodded.

Lloyd turned and ran back into the city.

* * *

Why was this happening to him? Every time he turned around, he was someone he wasn't before. Things kept changing, rearranging themselves around him before he could even grasp a hold. It was like he was sliding down this tunnel, his fingers dragging against the sides, unable to get a grip. He was going too fast. He couldn't see where he was going or where he was going to come out. He was trapped, helpless. He didn't want this! He didn't want any of this!

His forehead pressed against the jagged stone of the shop. People moved around him, but he didn't care. It wasn't like they knew him. Hell, he didn't even know himself. His own reflection was a stranger; he was trapped in a stranger's body—

No. Not a stranger. His. It was his body. Or at least it looked like him.

His fists clenched pressing against the bricks as he turned around, looking up at the brightening sky, his hair shifting across his eyes. Had he really been that blind? Not to realize it? All this time, everything he had said, everything he had done...

Now that man was here. Now he says he wants to help. Why? Why now? What had changed? Why would the bastard—

His eyes shut tightly, stinging and he bowed his head, gritting his teeth tightly. Everything had changed. What was there left to believe in? What was real and what was just another lie? Was he a lie? Being as he is. Eight years seemed impossible to have passed and yet looking around him, in the dirty streets of Meltokio with boarded up shops and windows, his friends even... This was the proof, the proof that he didn't want to accept.

He slid down the wall, bracing his arms on his legs, holding what was left of himself together. As if that could work, he thought mockingly. Just hold yourself tight enough and maybe, just maybe you won't drift apart. You won't lose your identity. Just hold on... just...hold...on...

But what was he holding onto? What was left of him? He didn't even know. His appearance and now Kratos—that man, that traitor and lying bastard—

"You shouldn't run off alone," said a soft voice.

Lloyd flinched, snapping his head up and nearly smacking it on the brick behind him. He looked at the man, who claimed to be his father. Lloyd nearly laughed out loud with the absurdity of the idea. A father? The man looked barely older than him. They'd pass for brothers at the most. A father?

Then he realized he was laughing, a sharp bitter laughter that rolled out deeply from his throat. His head laid back against the bricks his eyes closed, sighing and breathing in heavily through his nose. He felt like he wasn't there at all, like he was losing it. Maybe he was.

Lloyd turned his head, eyes slipping open to glance at the man as his chuckled died off. His eyes were narrow, taking in the man. He realized then, all those strange looks his friends had given him, they way they averted their eyes or flinched when he spoke a certain way. It made sense, everything made fricking sense now.

He pushed to his feet, his hands clenched at his sides. Kratos said nothing and Lloyd didn't care. His eyes scanned the man, taking in the obvious similarities that marred his own face. _Mirror image_, came to mind. Lloyd scowled; he was nothing like this man.

"Your friends are looking for you."

Lloyd frowned, glancing behind Kratos, almost expecting his friends to be there, watching on with nervous glances. But the street was empty. A part of him felt relieved they weren't there. He didn't want to face them, not like this. Not when he couldn't even control himself.

Kratos' expression was one of concern and Lloyd just looked at him with a numb indifference. He thought he'd be angry, shouting at him, but he wasn't. He just wanted to be alone. He didn't want to talk about it, to think about it.

He turned his eyes away and walked past Kratos, his long strides carrying him easily away from the older man. He didn't know if Kratos would follow him, he didn't really care at the moment. He didn't care if his friends tried either.

It wasn't long before he was walking along the road with his shadow stretching before him and the sun slowly rising at his back.

What was he doing, where was he going? He didn't know, really, he didn't even know how far he had gone, or why he was going so far. He just...didn't care anymore. He felt burned out, exhausted, tired, sick of everything. He knew he was being selfish, he knew he should go back, and that his friends would be—

They could take care of themselves, who was he kidding? They didn't need him; they were all ...adults; fully capable of protecting themselves. Sure he had promised Genis he would teach him how to use that blade, but Zelos could teach him just as easily.

Besides, obviously they didn't trust him very much if they wouldn't even tell him they knew who he was.

He let out a bitter snort of a laugh, bringing his hand up to rub his face—his damn face. Logic told him this was silly, that his friends wouldn't have concealed something from him like that for no important reason—but then what was that reason? Were they afraid of how he would react? Were they really so scared of his reaction that they wouldn't tell him? Did they really not trust him enough to think he'd...?

Well he kinda was doing something stupid now wasn't he?

He sighed again, his hand dropping to his side as he continued walking down the faded path. What was the point in going back right now, huh? They could make the pact without him, they didn't need him really, and ...and was it so bad that he just wanted some time to himself? He hadn't gotten one damn minute to himself since Iselia and that was—it really was years ago. Besides, after all that had happened—all of this and ...and Kratos—he couldn't even stand to _be_ himself right now, how could he hang around with all his friends eying him like that, seeing him like... No. He couldn't take that, not right now, maybe not ever...

Was it—was it really so wrong he just wanted to be alone for a while? They'd understand that he needed some space, right? He hadn't gone far ...Wait, had he? The swordsman turned, looking at the path behind him, finding Meltokio was just a blot in the distance. His heart sunk in his chest; he'd really gone so far like that without realizing. And why hadn't they come after him?

Oddly though, he found he didn't care too much. In fact, it made him feel better. Good, let them leave him alone, right now that was all he wanted. Some time to think and be alone.

His feet continued to carry him, the divided mountain range that dotted the land drawing nearer. To his right, he noticed Mount Fooji, recalling the crash with a weak smile. It seemed so long ago, and not that long. How was that possible? He turned his eyes forward, pausing in his long stride as he noticed the path bending around the base of the mountainside ahead of him.

He hesitated for only a moment before continuing along it, putting Meltokio completely out of his view. As he rounded the bend he was surprised to find a small building residing near the cliff-side, parallel to the ocean. Already he could smell the salt from the water and the cry of seabirds. He smiled to himself, approaching the building. He didn't know why this building was so far from the city and the main pathways. He wondered if anyone really knew about it. But it didn't matter. It was a place he could stay, undisturbed and alone where he could think. Or not think.

Maybe that's where he'd begin.

He knew already that he wasn't running, he knew he wasn't going to leave them. It was a solid fact in the back of his mind, trying to doubt that was like trying to argue with a stone wall and coerce it to fall apart. He'd always been like that, really...some things he just knew, and there was no arguing with them in his mind. When he saw someone in trouble, he'd help, he knew that; even if sometimes how he went about it made him stop and doubt himself...

Still, he knew this 'wall', if it told him he was going to be doing something; he would do it, no ifs ands or buts about it. Was that what Genis and the Professor meant by saying he lived off instinct? 'Intuition' the word was...

So he knew of course, he knew he'd go back to them, soon too. Somehow that thought made him bitter, a frown curling into his features as the small inn came more into view- for that's what he saw that it was. It appeared to be a sort of church as well...though he couldn't really care much at the moment.

Bitter, heh, he supposed he was. Part of him was disgusted with himself, ashamed that he would feel bitter of knowing that he'd go right back to them. A brooding part in the corner of his mind muttered, grumbled: why should he always be the one that would always be there? Why should he always be the one that ran to the rescue or was always strong for everyone else? Why couldn't he be weak and cowardly for a little bit, just a little bit...just a little break?

"Heh," he huffed, rubbing his face as he shook his head. "Well that's what you're doing, isn't it? Spoiled brat..."

For a moment he nearly turned and headed back, just straight back to them, to act like nothing happened. Again the thought made him sour, like a sullen child- no, no he should go back. He had to, it was just something he had to do, was just something he was supposed to do, it didn't matter if he wanted to be alone, if he wanted to be away from everything-

"Welcome to the House of Guidance, you look weary; do you need a place to rest?"

He looked up, blinking a bit. A nun had walked to the end of the walk from the garden to meet him (had he really walked that fast?) her hands clasped and a friendly smile on her face.

"I..." he blinked, looking at the building. "House of 'Guidance'..."

"We sadly don't have that much to offer, but we will gladly offer you a place to rest the night and some sustenance, if you'd be willing to help with some of the chores."

The place was in need of repair; obviously it wasn't in much different shape than the Meltokio streets. It looked a bit better though, not a complete wreck, though a few shutters were broken, some crude patches on the roof suggested someone with little skill had tried to repair it, and the fence was falling apart.

"...Guidance," he muttered again, shaking his head.

Feh, if only it gave that-

"Sir?Are you all right?"

He shook his head and looked at the nun, realizing she was probably only a few years older than him-...wait.

...No, she was ...early twenties. So...

Younger...than him...

"Sir?"

"Yes, sorry, I'm fine," he said, trying not to grimace at the weirdness of his voice. "I just- ...I can help with some of the repairs if you need me to. My dad taught me a lot about that sort of thing...that roof won't last you another heavy rain."

The nun blinked, looking up at the roof and then at him, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh-? Sir would you really? We've been needing that repaired but things as they are now we haven't been able to pay-"

"I'll do it, like you said, all I'll need is something to eat and a bed for the night," he said with a weak smile, noting how the sun was getting low. "I'm here...I might as well help out, after all."

Besides...work would be a good distraction from all this. He felt numb, he didn't feel like doing anything really, but focusing on something like that would at least not leave him feeling this empty. Like he said...he was here, he was worrying his friends; he might as well do something good because of that and help someone out.

**Symphoniafan: Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Freakyanimegal: Many sklees and happiness to you! n.n**


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